In brief: Shop owner fires gun at fleeing armed robber
The owner of a medical marijuana shop in the 600 block of West Garland Avenue fired a shot at an armed robber fleeing the store Monday evening.
“We can’t find any indication that anyone was hit,” Spokane police Lt. Bill Drollinger said.
Herbal Connections is just two doors down from Garland Tattoo and Piercing, where D.J. Nill works. “I heard something that sounded like a gunshot,” he said. But the robber ran off in the other direction, and employees didn’t see anything, he said.
“We didn’t realize what was going on until the cops came up,” fellow employee Larry Shepar said.
A police dog was brought in to track the suspect, who ran north through an alley. The effort failed.
Police described the robber as a man in his mid-20s, very thin and about 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a gray hooded sweatshirt and a black mask or scarf. He was armed with a gun. Drollinger confirmed that the robber got away with merchandise and cash.
Nina Culver
Spokane Valley man dies in motorcycle accident
Spokane Valley resident Jimmie D. Parker, 62, died in a motorcycle accident Monday on Highway 195 two miles south of the Spokane city limits.
The Washington State Patrol said Parker had been riding his 2005 Harley-Davidson north in the left lane when he veered off the road and struck a tree. Parker was ejected from his motorcycle. Investigators are trying to determine why Parker drove off the road.
Nina Culver
Men sought in robbery of Little Caesars Pizza
A pair of armed men robbed the Little Caesars Pizza at East 29th Avenue and South Regal Street on Spokane’s South Hill late Sunday night. Witnesses told police two men came in through an unlocked back door and assaulted an employee at about 10:30 p.m.
Investigators say the robbery may be connected to a recent holdup of a Pizza Rita location in north Spokane. Officers attempted to track the men from the restaurant using a police dog.
One suspect is described as a light-skinned black male with a medium build and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. The other may be Hispanic, with a medium build wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt. The first suspect wore a blue bandanna over his face while the second did not cover his face and was unshaven, police said.
Nina Culver
Spokane woman unhurt after driving car into lake
A woman was safe Monday after driving her car into Willow Lake southwest of Spokane.
The Washington State Patrol reported that Shelby Ann Hughes, 30, of Spokane, was driving west along Interstate 90 when she steered her 2003 Ford Taurus off the highway, then crossed another road and plowed her car into the lake.
A tow truck later dragged the car from the water.
The scene unfolded about 10 miles west of Spokane at 4:30 p.m. Troopers reported the accident may have been caused by a medical problem. It remains under investigation.
John Stucke